Ever try to do something charitable and get lots of push back?

I recently set up a private fund raiser to help a friend going through a health crisis.  I did it out of the purest intentions, but unfortunately, most people thought I did it for the wrong reason.  Most people assumed I had the wrong intentions.  Many people were jealous that I thought of it before them.  And several others questioned my integrity, methods and honesty!

Why is our society so jaded that you are automatically accused of being guilty until proved innocent?  I guess with so many scams these days, even by so-called “charity organizations,” have made most people distrustful.  We live in a sad world where whenever someone tries to do something good or raise money, they are immediately judged as being shifty or scamming!  We need to get back to days gone by when we assumed everyone’s attentions were pure from the beginning.  Or maybe we can never get back to those days.  I will press on, through all the push back, and continue to do good and help out my fellow man in crisis, continuing to raise funds to those less fortunate than myself and for those in need.

Words and photo copyright 2013 by Eddie Edwards.

 

I recently went for 24-hours without a cell phone and it was great!

Remember when everyone didn’t have smart phones, or even cell phones?  Remember when there was a pay phone on every corner?  Remember before Youtube when very few people or even businesses had a website?  Well, recently, my smart phone broke and I found myself without a cell phone for twenty-four hours.  Ironically, I found myself in the very location where I had last made a pay phone call, in Fremont, WA.  It was ten years ago that I last used a pay phone, to answer a message from my home phone about returning a call for confirming a job interview I had.  The even funnier thing was that the pay phone that I had used was no longer there!

Life was good with no smart phone. I didn’t have to update my status, search sports scores, watch the latest video on Youtube, check the weather or monitor the traffic before I left.  It was a very freeing experience!  I even carried on a great conversation for a long time with a total stranger, in person!  I miss those days when life was not only simpler, but I believe, more meaningful, when people actually “talked” to each other, mostly in person.   I was at a restaurant and six people were sitting at a table together in silence, all of them with their heads buried in their smart phones.  How sad!  What has our society become?  We need to get back to simple things and conversations, which will improve our relationships!

 

 

It’s almost time for the Autumn color drive!

Each year, my family and I take an Autumn drive to take in all the fall color, the foliage, the beauty of the season.  In the past, we have taken drives south to California and east along the North Cascades Highway.  This year, we are taking little roads from Seattle out to the coast at Cannon Beach, Oregon.

I have been looking forward to this trip especially since it will involve an overnight stay at Gearhart Hotel, a McMenamins hotel, on the coast.  We will take walks on the beach and play golf at the lovely course at Gearhart, one of the oldest and most historic courses in America!  I look forward to the drive, the color, the food, the drink, the golf and the coast.  We are leaving soon!

 

 

Help me raise money for Breast Cancer Research!

Help me raise money for Breast Cancer Research:  All proceeds from the sale of my books this month will be donated to Breast Cancer Research:

http://www.amazon.com/Eddie-Edwards/e/B0034OKI42/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1381352953&sr=1-2-ent

Once again I have overcome the stormy skies of hypocrisy, treachery and adversity!

Not for the first time, and probably not for the last, I recently overcame the stormy skies of hypocrisy, treachery and adversity in my life again.  It is sad that so often so many people and organziations welcome us in, smile and pat us on the back as we improve and change their operations positively and permanently for good, only to be stabbed in the back later.  They show us one face, then show another when our back is turned.  They reward long years of survice and devotion with betrayal.  They punish us for doing good while they reward evil doers.  They turn on us even when we alone kept the whole operation alive for years, as the face of the organization, doing all the work, often solo, when no one else would help.

But such is life and I have survived this betrayal so many times in my own life, as I am sure that many of you have as well, that I just get stronger each time.  In my professional career, I continue to be victorious and successful, as my accomplishments grow, despite opposition.  I encourage all of you to keep fighting and never give up, even when you are attacked, like I have been so many times, for doing what is right.  Keep up the good fight and you will be rewarded, ultimately, in the end, while those who have done you wrong will get their punishment.  Keep smiling!

Words and photo copyright 2013 by Eddie Edwards.